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VASSAR, Jr. RAILROAD GATE.

Patented July 9, 1889.

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G. VASSAR, Jr.

RAILROAD GATE.

No. 406.551. Patented July 9,"188,9.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

GEORGE VASSAR, JR, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

RAILROAD-GATE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No: 406,551, dated July 9,1889.

Application filed January 23, 1889. Serial No. 297,245. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, GEORGE VAssAR, J r., of New York, in the county andState of New York, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement inRailroad Gates, of which the following is a specification.

My improvement relates to gates which are used in connection withrailroads at crossings.

The object of the improvement is to provide a mechanism whereby saidgates can be slowly raised and lowered through an impulse produced bythe passage of a train or car over a tappet.

I will describe in detail a gate and actuating mechanism embodying myimprovement, and then point out the novel features in my claims.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a plan of a railway furnishedwith gates and mechanism embodying my improvement. Fig. 2 is a sideelevation of the same. Fig. 3 is a side view, on a larger scale, of oneof the gates and part of the actuating mechanism. Fig. 4 is an edge viewof the parts shown in Fig. 3. Fig. 5 is a longitudinalseotion of a boxforming part of my improvement. Fig. (5 is a transverse section of thesame.

Similar letters of reference designate corresponding parts in all thefigures.

A A designate two railway-tracks extending side by side in the ordinarymanner.

Trains are intended to run upon these tracks in reverse directions, asindicated. by the arrows marked upon the tracks.

B B designate gates, (shown as consisting of swinging arms secured tostandards 13,) arranged one adjacent to the outer side of the track A,and the other adjacent to the outer side of the track A These gates 13'B are intended to operate in unison and to be actuated by a trainpassing along the track A.

C C designate similar gates pivoted or fulcrumed to standards 0,arranged in positions like those occupied by the standards B. Thesegates C G are intended to operate in unison and to be actuated by trainspassing over the track A It will be seen that the gates B B are oppositethe gates O 0 The pair of gates B B are not, however, to extend over thecrossing D when the gates C O are lowered.

Neither are the gates C C to extend over the crossing when the gates B Bare lowered. Each of the gates mentioned has combined with it a box E.In the present instance this box is made in the form of a tubular leverand is pivoted midway between its ends at the axial line of thegate-pivot. As here shown, each box is provided with trunnions e 6extending at opposite points from it and midway between the ends. Thesetrunnions fit in the standards B C, which support the gates. V

The trunnions e of the boxes extend through the gates with which theboxes are combined. Nuts are shown as applied to the trunnions outsidethe standards. It will be seen that the gates and boxes are thus pivotedor fulorumed between their ends to the standards without necessitatingthe employment of any pivot-pins or fulcrums which pass through theboxes.

It will be seen that the rear ends of the beams forming the gates areprovided with adjustable weights f. These weights are made adjustable toenable a delicate poise of the gate-beams to be attained.

I have shown the gate-beams as made in two sections s 5 The sections 5are the main sect-ions. The sections 5 are hinged to the main sections,so that they maybe swung outwardly away from the adjacent track. Springs8 attached to the main sections 3 and impinging against the hingedsections 5 press the latter into such position that they will be in linewith the main sections. This permits a person or an animal happening tobe on the track at the time of the closing of the gates to push aportion of a gate outwardly and escape from an approaching train.

Each box has a weight W. As shown, it is made in the form of aballfitting snugly within the cylindrie interior of the box and adapted toroll easily fromone end of the box to the other. I

I have already shown that each box E is made in the form of a tubularlever. It remains to explain that each box is provided with two pins 1919 These pins extend to- ICO 4o ing standard 13.

5 with the upper surface of the rear portion of the gate-beam. I mean bythe rear portion the portion which does not extend over the crossingwhen the gate is lowered. The pin 19 of each box operates in conjunctionwith the projection g on the corresponding gatebeam. Vhenever one of theboxes is tilted slightly its weight will roll to the depressed end,thereby tilting the box more. After it shall have tilted the boxsufficiently one of the pins of the box will operate upon the adjacentgate-beam to tilt it. For instance, if a box E is tilted so that thatend which is near the rear end of the opposite gate-beam shall bedepressed, the weight of such box will roll down to the depressed end ofthe box, thus causing it to tilt further, and whenthe box shall havetilted far enough to bring its pin 13 into contact with the uppersurface of the rear portion of the gate-beam the further tilting of thebox will cause acorresponding tilting of the gate-beam, and the forwardend of the gate-leverI mean the end extending over the crossing-will beraised. hen the box is tilted in the reverse direction, its

0 weight will run to the depressed'end of the box, and the pin 19 willoperate upon the transverse extension g of the gate-beam so as to lowerit. on each gate-beam instead of each box would.

3 5 amount to a mere inversion.

I will now explain how each box E is tilted. it will be seen that neareach end each box E is connected to a lever G, which is fulcrumed midwaybetween its ends tothe correspond- The connection is made by cords orchains H H These cords or chains are shown as fastened to lugs on theunder side of the box E and extending through holes in the arms of thecorresponding lever G, pro- 5 jections being provided at the ends of thesaid cords or chains to prevent them from being detached from the leverG. Lost motion is provided by these cords or chains.

Each lever G is connected by two cords,

5o chains, or like devices I I with tappets,

which can be operated by a passing train. The cords or chains 1 passaround guiderollers to bell-cran k or elbow levers J. These bell-crankor elbow levers J are connected by pins J with levers J J, formingtappets.

These levers may be depressed by the cowcatcher T of a locomotive. WVhenthe tappet J or J 3 is depressed, the train will be moving in thedirection of the arrow, Fig. 2, and will effect the oscillation of thelever J, and consequently of the corresponding lever G, in suchdirection as to effect the tilting of the corresponding box E in thesame direction. This will merely start the tilting of the box E. The

box E will afterward tilt slowly and as far'as permitted by the lostmotion afforded by the Each gate-lever is provided with abeneath thetrack.

Obviously, to arrange the pins extra length of the cord H, as comparedwith that length which would be necessary if it were desired to tilt thebox E to the same degree, and only to the same degree, as the lever G.As the box E will tilt slowly, it will slowly lower the gate into thedesired position to protect the crossing. The gate may thus be operatedwithout endangering persons or things in the vicinity, and without jar,which would be detrimental to itself.

The gate thus operated will remain low ered until the cow-catcher of thetrain reaches the tappets K K WVhen the cow-catcher reaches this point,it will, by depressing the tappets, lower the pin K and oscillate theangle-lever K.v This will eifect a pull on the cord 1 sufficient toeffect the tilting of the lever G. The lever G will tilt thecorresponding box E beyond the horizontal. After this the tilting of thebox will continue, so as to slowly and easily effect the raising of thegate.

Each pair of gates has combined with it boxes E, chains or cords H Hconnected to the boxes, levers G, cords I I elbow-levers J K, pins J K,and tappets J J K K.

The levers G for each pair of gates are secured upon a common shaft G,that extends Owing to this the boxes E for both gates of each pair maybe oscillated by a single pair of cords or chains 1' I and theappurtenances thereof.

What I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, isj 1. The combination, with a railway-gate ihaving a transverseprojection, of a lever and a movable weight supported by said le- Jver,the said gate and lever being independently hung upon the same shaft,and the said lever being provided with pins or projections for engagingthe transverse projection and operating the gate, substantially asspecified.

2. The combination, with a railway-gate having a rear extension and atransverse projection, of a lever independently hung upon the sameshaft, a weight supported by said lever, pins orprojections at oppositeends of said lever alternately engaging the rear extension andtransverse projection of the gate, tappets adjacent to the track, andconnections between the tappets and said levers, substantially asspecified.

a. The combination, with a railway-gate having a transverse projection,of a lever independently. hung upon the same shaft, a weight supportedby said lever, pins or projections engaging the transverse projectionand rear portion of the gate, another lever connected to theweight-supporting lever with provision for lost motion, tappets adjacentto the track, and connections between the tappets and thesecond-mentioned lever,

substantially as specified.

4. The combination, with a gate B, of a box E, provided with pins orprojections for operating said gate, a lever G, cords or chains tionsfor operating a gat e beam, substantially H H cords 01 chains 1 I andtappet-s adjaas specified. cent to the track, substantially asspecified.

5. The combination, with a gate B, of a VASSAR 5 box IE, provided withtrunnions, on one of itnesses:

which the gate turns and is supported,- said EDWIN I-LBROWN, boxcontaining a weight and having projec- S. O. EDMONDS.

